Oil and gas exploration and production generally involve drilling boreholes, where at least some of the boreholes are converted into permanent well installations such as production wells, injections wells, or monitoring wells. To complete a well installation, a liner or casing is lowered into the borehole and is cemented in place. Further, perforating, packing, and/or other operations may be performed along the well installation to create different production or injection zones.
There are situations where gravity alone is insufficient to convey a wireline tool for well completion operations and/or well intervention operations. For example, if the clearance between a wireline tool and an inner diameter of a casing or liner is small, the tool can become stuck. Further, gravity alone will not convey a wireline tool along an angled or horizontal section of a well. In such scenarios, pump-down operations are performed.
For conventional pump-down operations, water or another fluid is pumped into a well to help convey or “push” a wireline tool to a desired position. Two controllable parameters for pump-down operations are the pump rate and the wireline speed. Usually, the pump rate and the wireline speed are controlled manually by two different operators in communication with each other using radio transceivers. If control of the pump rate and the wireline speed is mismanaged, a “pump off” may occur resulting in expensive tool retrieval operations and lost time. Further, if the pump rate is too high, the pressure at the surface of the well may cause failure of wellhead components. To avoid pump off events or wellhead failure, conservative control of the pump rate and wireline speed is possible, but results in lost time.
It should be understood, however, that the specific embodiments given in the drawings and detailed description do not limit the disclosure. On the contrary, they provide the foundation for one of ordinary skill to discern the alternative forms, equivalents, and modifications that are encompassed together with one or more of the given embodiments in the scope of the appended claims.